All 23 Alabama tornado victims, including 6-year-old boy and father who alerted friend about storm, have been identified

Six-year-old Armando (AJ) Hernandez is believed to be the youngest of the victims. (Facebook)

When news of an approaching tornado first made its way through southeast Alabama Sunday, David Wayne Dean alerted a friend. He texted his pal to keep up with the news as forecasters cautioned residents of the nasty storm.

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Yet hours later, after the tornado ripped through the rural community of 10,000, leaving debris and devastation, 53-year-old Dean was among its victims.

Dean’s son found his body on the other side of an embankment in the neighbor’s yard, according to the Associated Press.

“He was done and gone before we got to him. My life is gone. He was the reason I lived, the reason that I got up,” wife Carol Dean said through sobs Monday.

Hernandez’s aunt, Tina Melton, later confirmed that he didn’t survive.

“He was a little Angel from God and God wanted him back. He was a precious little man that was loved by everyone,” she wrote on Facebook. “I will miss your little smile and your sweet voice and face. He was always eager to give hugs and loved his family.”

Taylor Thornton, a fourth-grader, was also killed in the wreckage. Lee-Scott Academy, the school she attended, confirmed her death. A GoFundMe page was set up to help her parents, Ashley and David, pay for funeral costs.

A GoFundMe page was created to help cover the funeral costs for Taylor Thornton. (GoFundMe)

“Taylor was an amazing example of a child of God. She brought so much joy to all that knew her. She was loved dearly and will forever be missed,” the page read.

Charlie Craige, a family friend and pastor in Mobile, remembered Thornton as “the sweetest child” he had ever known.

“Honored to have known her during my time in Auburn, AL. So many good memories with her and her family,” he wrote.

Sheriff Jones called the disaster the worst he’d encountered in his 21-year career and the worst the town had seen in 50 years.

“It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and just scraped the ground. There are slabs where homes formerly stood, debris everywhere, trees are snapped,” he said during a press conference Monday.

Officials are using drones with infrared features to help look for more victims.

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President Trump said that he has been working Gov. Kay Ivey and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.

“Towns, schools, churches and homes were devastated by tornadoes of a force like we haven't seen in a long time, historic. Our whole nation mourns for the more than 20 lives lost and for the heartbroken families they leave behind,” Trump said Monday.

“You look at the areas affected and probably nobody made it out of that path, that path was brutal. To the community of Lee County, we grieve by your side and we pledge our unwavering support to help you rebuild from the very depths of this horrible tragedy.”